Practice Policies & Patient Information
This practice was established in 1920 on Bath Road and then moved to Russell Street, a listed Victorian building, refurbished in 1985 as a purpose built doctor’s Surgery.
Practice Policies
Chaperone Policy
The surgery prides itself in maintaining professional standards. For certain examinations during consultations an impartial observer (a “chaperone”) will be required.
This impartial observer will be a practice nurse, healthcare assistant or trained receptionist who is familiar with the procedure and be available to reassure and raise any concerns on your behalf. If a chaperone is unavailable at the time of your consultation then your examination may be re-scheduled for another time.
You are free to decline any examination or chose an alternative examiner or chaperone. You may also request a chaperone for any examination or consultation if one is not offered to you. Our whole team is DBS checked and are trained in the roles and responsibilities of acting as a chaperone. The GP may not undertake an examination if a chaperone is declined.
The role of a chaperone:
- Maintains professional boundaries during intimate examinations.
- Acknowledges a patient’s vulnerability.
- Provides emotional comfort and reassurance.
- Assists in the examination.
Confidentiality Policy
The practice complies with the Data Protection Act. All information about patients is confidential: from the most sensitive diagnosis, to the fact of having visited the surgery or being registered at the practice. All patients can expect that their personal information will not be disclosed without their permission except in the most exceptional of circumstances, when somebody is at grave risk of serious harm.
All members of the primary health care team (from reception to doctors) in the course of their duties will have access to your medical records. They all adhere to the highest standards of maintaining confidentiality.
As our reception area is a little public, if you wish to discuss something of a confidential nature please mention it to one of the receptionists who will make arrangements for you to have the necessary privacy.
Under 16s
The duty of confidentiality owed to a person under 16 is as great as the duty owed to any other person. Young people aged under 16 years can choose to see health professionals, without informing their parents or carers. If a GP considers that the young person is competent to make decisions about their health, then the GP can give advice, prescribe and treat the young person without seeking further consent.
However, in terms of good practice, health professionals will encourage young people to discuss issues with a parent or carer. As with older people, sometimes the law requires us to report information to appropriate authorities in order to protect young people or members of the public.
Useful websites
Data Sharing Transparency
The following builds upon the information in our Fair Processing notice and is published to ensure transparency. This list is not exhaustive. Where the offering of a service to a patient will inform them about the sharing of their data (e.g., support from smoking cessation services), it is not necessarily included here. This list does not set out uses of anonymous data where identity has been completely removed (such as anonymised data to the Department for Work and Pensions or provision of ‘fit notes’).
Shared Care Records
Purpose
To ensure you receive effective, safe care, we will, through digital means, enable your record to be available to those providing your care in whichever care setting you are seen, such as an A&E attendance, a physiotherapy appointment, a social care needs assessment.
In order to achieve this, the aim of Shared Care Records is to enable health and care staff to view your information, to save valuable time in getting you the right treatment. Your information will only be available to the staff involved in your direct care, and not at any other time, or for any other reason.
Legal Basis – Article 6(1)e ‘exercise of official authority’ and Article 9(2)h ‘Provision of health and care’
Processor – Graphnet
Summary Care Record
Purpose
The NHS in England uses a national electronic record called the Summary Care Record (SCR) to support patient care. It contains key information from your GP record. Your SCR provides authorised healthcare staff with faster, secure access to essential information about you in an emergency or when you need unplanned care, where such information would otherwise be unavailable.
Legal Basis – Article 6(1)e ‘exercise of official authority’ and Article 9(2)h ‘Provision of health and care’
Controller of Summary Care Record data – NHS Digital
Test Requests and Results
Purpose
Some basic identifying details, the type of test requested and if required any relevant health information is shared with Pathology Laboratories when tests such as blood or urine tests need to be undertaken. The laboratory will also hold the details of the request and the result. The result/report will be sent electronically to the practice who will hold it in the patient’s record.
Legal Basis – Article 6(1)e ‘exercise of official authority’ and Article 9(2)h ‘Provision of health and care’ Controller of test data – The laboratory that process the request and result are a controller of the data generated by the test process.
Research
Purpose
We may share personal confidential or anonymous information with research companies. Where you have opted out of having your identifiable information shared for this purpose then it will not be used.
Legal Basis
Consent is required to share confidential patient information for research, unless there is support under the Health Service (Control of Patient Information Regulations) 2002 (‘section 251 support’) applying via the Confidentiality Advisory Group in England and Wales.
Controller
The organisation leading the research will be the controller of data disclosed to them.
Individual Funding Requests
Purpose
We may need to process your personal information where we are required to apply for funding for a specific treatment for you for a particular condition that is not routinely available.
Legal Basis
The clinical professional who first identifies that you may need the treatment will explain to you the information that is needed to be collected and processed in order to assess your needs and commission your care; they will gain your explicit consent to share this. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
If you are happy for the request to be made, the basis for processing your data is: Article 6(1)e ‘exercise of official authority’ and Article 9(2)h ‘Provision of health and care’.
Controller
Your data will be disclosed to the Clinical Commissioning Group who manages the individual funding request process.
Child Health Information Service
Purpose
We wish to make sure that your child has the opportunity to have immunisations and health checks when they are due. We share information about childhood immunisations, the 6-8 week new baby check and breast-feeding status with health visitors and school nurses.
Legal Basis
Article 6(1)e ‘exercise of official authority’ and Article 9(2)h ‘Provision of health and care’.
Controller
NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW).
Risk Stratification – Preventative Care
Purpose
‘Risk stratification for case finding’ is a process for identifying and managing patients who have or may be at-risk of health conditions (such as diabetes) or who are most likely to need healthcare services (such as people with frailty).
Risk stratification tools used in the NHS help determine a person’s risk of suffering a particular condition and enable us to focus on preventing ill health before it develops. Information about you is collected from a number of sources including NHS Trusts and your GP Practice. A risk score is then arrived at to help us identify and offer you additional services to improve your health.
In addition data with your identity removed is used to inform the development and delivery of services across the local area. If you do not wish information about you to be included in any risk stratification programmes, please let us know. We can add a code to your records that will stop your information from being used for this purpose.
Please be aware that this may limit the ability of healthcare professionals to identify if you have or are at risk of developing certain serious health conditions.
Legal Basis
Article 6(1)e ‘exercise of official authority’ and article 9(2)h ‘Provision of health and care’.
Risk stratification has been approved by the Secretary of State, through the Confidentiality Advisory Group of the Health Research Authority (approval reference (CAG 7-04)(a)/2013)) and this approval has been extended to the end of September 2022 NHS England Risk Stratification which gives us a statutory legal basis under Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006 to process data for risk stratification purposes which sets aside the duty of confidentiality.
We are committed to conducting risk stratification effectively, in ways that are consistent with the laws that protect your confidentiality. Controller to which data is disclosed: NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) (NB identifiable data is not disclosed to other controllers
Public Health
- Screening Programmes (Identifiable)
- Notifiable Disease Information (Identifiable)
- Smoking Cessation (Anonymous)
- Sexual Health (Anonymous)
Purpose
The NHS provides national screening programmes so that certain diseases can be detected at an early stage. These currently apply to bowel cancer, breast cancer, aortic aneurysms and diabetic retinal screening service.
The law allows us to share your contact information with Public Health England so that you can be invited to the relevant screening programme. Personal identifiable and anonymous data is shared.
More information can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-population-screening-explained or speak to the practice.
Legal Basis
- Article 6(1)e ‘exercise of official authority’
- Article 9(2)h ‘Provision of health and care’
Controller to Which Data is Disclosed
- Public Health Services (England)
- The Local Authority
NHS Trusts
Purpose
Personal information is shared with Hospitals, Community Services, Mental Health Services and others in order to provide you with care services. This could be for a range of services, including treatment, operations, physio, community nursing, and ambulance service.
Legal Basis
- Article 6(1)e ‘exercise of official authority’
- Article 9(2)h ‘Provision of health and care’
Controller to Which Data is Disclosed
- Berkshire Health Foundation Trust
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Purpose
The CQC is the regulator for the English Health and Social Care services to ensure that safe care is provided. They will inspect and produce reports back to the GP practice on a regular basis. The law allows the CQC to access identifiable data but only where it is needed to conduct their services.
More detail on how they ensure compliance with data protection law (including GDPR) and their privacy statement is available on the CQC website:
https://www.cqc.org.uk/about-us/our-policies/privacy-statement
Legal Basis
- Article 6(1)c “processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject.”
- Article 9(2)h ‘management of health and care services’
Controller Data is Disclosed To
- Care Quality Commission
Payments
Purpose
Payments to the practice come in many different forms. Some payments are based on the number of patients that receive specific services, such as diabetic reviews and immunisation programmes.
In order to make patient-based payments, basic and relevant necessary data about you needs to be sent to the various payment services. This data contains limited identity if needed, such as your NHS number. The release of this data is required by English laws.
Legal Basis
- Article 6(1)c “processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject.”
- Article 9(2)h ‘as stated below’
Controllers That Data is Disclosed To
- NHS England
- CCG
- Public Health
Patient Record Database Support
Purpose
The practice uses electronic patient records. Our supplier of the electronic patient record system is: EMIS.
Our supplier does not access identifiable records without permission of the practice, and this is only given where it is necessary to investigate issues on a particular record.
Legal Basis
- Article 6(1)e ‘exercise of official authority’
- Article 9(2)h ‘management of health and care services’
Medicines Optimisation
Purpose
We use software packages linked to our patient record system to aid when prescribing drugs. These ensure that prescribing is effective. We do not share your identifiable data with the companies that provide these packages.
Legal Basis
- Article 6(1)e ‘exercise of official authority’
- Article 9(2)h ‘Provision of health and care’
Controller
- Berkshire West Clinical Commissioning Group
Clinical Audit
Purpose
Information will be used by the CCG for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the service provided to patients with long-term conditions. When required, information will be held centrally and used for statistical purposes (e.g., the National Diabetes Audit). When this happens, strict measures are taken to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified from the data.
Legal Basis
- Article 6(1)e ‘exercise of official authority’
- Article 9(2)h ‘management of health and care services’
Controller
- Berkshire West Clinical Commissioning Group
National Fraud Initiative – Cabinet Office
Purpose
The use of data by the Cabinet Office for data matching is carried out with statutory authority. It does not require the consent of the individuals concerned under Data Protection legislation. Data matching by the Cabinet Office is subject to a Code of Practice.
For further information see:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-data-matching-practice-for-national-fraud-initiative
NFI activities vary each year, so data would only be disclosed if required by the focus of their activities.
Legal Basis
- Part 6 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014
Controller
- Cabinet Office
National Registries
Purpose
National Registries (such as the Learning Disabilities Register) have statutory permission under Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006, to collect and hold service user identifiable information without the need to seek informed consent from each individual service user.
Legal Basis
- Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006
Police
Purpose
The police may request information in relation to ongoing enquiries. All requests are reviewed and only appropriate information will be shared under legislation.
Legal Basis
- Article 6(1)e – task carried out in the public interest
- Article 9(2)c – Vital Interests
- Article 9(2)f – Legal claims or judicial acts
- Article 9(2)g – Reasons of substantial public interest
Controller Disclosed To
- Police
Reviews of and Changes to our Privacy Notice
We will keep our Privacy Notice under regular review. This notice was last reviewed in November 2020
Disclaimer
Every effort is taken to ensure that the information published on this website is accurate and informative.
This website is provided for information only. It is not intended to replace a consultation with an appropriately qualified medical practitioner. Neither the practice nor any of its sub-contractors can accept responsibility for any loss, damage or injury that arises from the use of this website.
Links are provided for information and convenience only. We cannot accept responsibility for the sites linked to, or the information found there. A link does not imply an endorsement of a site; likewise, not linking to a particular site does not imply lack of endorsement.
We make every effort to ensure that this website is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. However, we cannot guarantee uninterrupted access to this website, or the sites to which it links. We accept no responsibility for any damages arising from the loss of use of this information.
Feedback and Complaints
We welcome all comments on the services provided by the practice.
We are continually looking to turn our patients’ feedback into real improvements in the services we provide. We use it to focus on the things that matter most to our patients, carers and their families.
We would like to hear from you if you have a suggestion on how we can do things better to improve our patients’ experiences. We’d also like to hear from you if you are pleased with the service you’ve received.
We’ll let the staff involved know and share the good practice across our teams.
Giving feedback
To provide feedback:
- Fill out a feedback form
- Take part in the Friends and Family Test
- Write to the surgery
- Phone us on 0118 957 3752
Freedom of information
The Freedom of Information Act creates a right of access to recorded information and obliges a public authority to:
- Have a publication scheme in place
- Allow public access to information held by public authorities.
The Act covers any recorded organisational information such as reports, policies or strategies, that is held by a public authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by UK-wide public authorities based in Scotland, however it does not cover personal information such as patient records which are covered by the Data Protection Act.
Public authorities include government departments, local authorities, the NHS, state schools and police forces.
The Act is enforced by the Information Commissioner who regulates both the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act.
The surgery publication scheme
A publication scheme requires an authority to make information available to the public as part of its normal business activities. The scheme lists information under seven broad classes, which are:
- who we are and what we do
- what we spend and how we spend it
- what our priorities are and how we are doing it
- how we make decisions
- our policies and procedures
- lists and registers
- the services we offer
You can request our publication scheme leaflet at the surgery.
Who can request information?
Under the Act, any individual, anywhere in the world, is able to make a request to a practice for information. An applicant is entitled to be informed in writing, by the practice, whether the practice holds information of the description specified in the request and if that is the case, have the information communicated to him. An individual can request information, regardless of whether he/she is the subject of the information or affected by its use.
How should requests be made?
Requests must:
- be made in writing (this can be electronically e.g. email)
- state the name of the applicant and an address for correspondence
- describe the information requested.
What cannot be requested?
Personal data about staff and patients covered under Data Protection Act.
For more information see these websites:
General Practice Data for Planning and Research (GPDPR) – NHS Digital
The collection of GP Data for Planning and Research in England has been deferred from 1 July to 1 September 2021. More information about how your data is being used by NHS Digital and how to opt out is available below:
We hope you find this information useful and that you will choose not to opt out of sharing your data.
Your information, what you need to know
If you want to speak to us about your data, please contact us.
This notice describes why we collect information about you, how your information will be used and your rights in respect of your data.
Why we collect information about you
Your records are used to ensure you get the best possible care. Your information helps them to make the best decisions about your care and helps provide you with proactive advice and guidance. Important information is also collected to help us to remind you about specific treatment which you might need, such as health checks, immunisations for children and reminders for screening appointments. We work with other NHS services to co-ordinate these.
Information held about you may be used to help protect the health of the public and to help us to improve NHS services. Information may be used within the GP practice to monitor the quality of the service provided (known as ‘clinical audit’).
What data do we collect and receive about you?
Records are stored electronically and on paper and include personal details about you such as your address, carers, legal representatives, emergency contact details, as well as:
- Any appointments, visits, emergency appointments
- Notes and reports about your health
- Details about your diagnosis, treatment and care
- Details about any medication you are taking
- Results of investigations such as laboratory tests, x-rays
- Relevant information from health and care professionals, relatives or carers
We also receive information from other organisations that are caring for you that we hold in your record. This will include letters and test results.
How we use your information:
For providing your care
Prescriptions
Where you have agreed we will send information on your prescriptions to pharmacies, either by electronic systems or by paper.
Test requests and results
Where we undertake tests on you, such as blood tests, we will send the sample and details of the tests we are requesting to the most appropriate pathology laboratory. The data shared with the laboratory will include your NHS number, name, the type of test requested and any health information relevant to doing the test and producing the result or report. We will receive the test results back from the laboratory electronically and these will be stored in your patient record.
Extended services and out of hours
We work closely with neighbouring practices and ‘out of hours’ providers including NHS 111 to ensure that if you need care from a doctor outside of normal hours that they have access to your records when needed to give you the best possible care. This may be delivered over the phone or via video consultation as appropriate. Services may be run by ‘GP Federations’ and ‘Primary Care Networks’.
Patient referrals
With your agreement, your GP or nurse may refer you to other services not provided by the practice, or they may work with other services to provide your care in the practice. Information will be shared by letters, emails and shared record systems.
Once you have been seen, the other care agency will tell us about the treatment they have provided for you and any support which your GP needs to provide. This information is then included in your record. Referrals can be to lots of different services, such as smoking cessation services, social prescribers, voluntary services and other health and care agencies, as appropriate, for your care.
Hospital, community or social care services
Sometimes the staff caring for you need to share some of your information with others who are also supporting you. This could include hospital or community based specialists, nurses, health visitors, therapists or social care services. Information will be shared to organisations where you receive care, whether that is local or further away, if you need specialist care or emergency care in another.
Safeguarding of children or vulnerable adults
If we have significant concerns or hear about an individual child or vulnerable adult being at risk of harm, we may share relevant information with other organisations, such as local authorities and the Police, involved in ensuring their safety.
Ensuring medicines work well
We work with the local Medicines Management team of the Clinical Commissioning Group to help get the best out of medicines for patients and ensure they are effective in managing conditions. This generally uses anonymous data, but occasionally they will assist in reviews of medication for patients with complex needs. Doctors may also seek advice and guidance on prescribing queries.
Identifying health risks
Systems known as ‘risk stratification tools’ are used to help determine a person’s risk of suffering particular conditions and enable us to focus on preventing ill health before it develops. Information in these systems comes from a number of sources, such as hospitals and the practice. This can help us identify and offer you additional services to improve your health.
Multi-disciplinary team meetings
For some long term conditions, such as diabetes, the practice participates in meetings with staff from other agencies involved in providing care, to help plan the best way to provide care to patients with these conditions.
National services (including screening programmes)
There are some national services like National Diabetes Audit and the National Cancer Screening Programmes that collect and keep information from across the NHS. This is how the NHS knows when to contact you about services like cervical, breast or bowel cancer screening.
You can find out more about how the NHS holds and shares your information for national programmes on the NHS screening website.
Data may also be shared on anyone who contracts a ‘communicable disease’, such as Covid-19, in order to manage public health and safety.
How we use your information:
Beyond providing your care
The information collected about you when you use our services can also be used and provided to other organisations for purposes beyond your individual care, for instance to help with:
- Improving the quality and standards of care
- Research into the development of new treatments
- Preventing illness and diseases
- Monitoring safety
- Planning new services
- Public health screening
- Assisting the Care Quality Commission with any investigations
- Investigating fraud
Wherever possible data used for these purposes is anonymised so that you cannot be identified. If information cannot be completely anonymous, then this may only take place when the law allows the information to be used. All these uses help to provide better health and care for you, your family and future generations.
This practice is supporting vital health and care planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital.
Statutory disclosures
Sometimes we are duty bound by laws to disclose information to organisations such as the Care Quality Commission, the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency, the General Medical Council, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and Counter Fraud services. In these circumstances we will always try to inform you before we are required to disclose and we only disclose the minimum information that the law requires us to do so.
Objecting to the of use of data for purposes beyond your care
The NHS Constitution states ‘You have a right to request that your personal and confidential information is not used beyond your own care and treatment and to have your objections considered’. For further information please visit: The NHS Constitution
National data opt-out
The national data opt-out enables patients to opt-out from the use of their personal confidential data for research or planning purposes. To find out more or to register to opt out, please visit the NHS Website: Your Data Matters.
If you have any concerns about use of your data not covered by the National Data opt out, please contact the practice.
How long do we hold information for?
Records are kept for the lifetime of the patient. If you move to a new practice, your record will be transferred. If the practice you have left need to access your record, for example to deal with a historic complaint, they will let you know. When information has been identified for destruction or deletion it will be disposed of using approved confidential disposal procedures.
Your rights:
Data Protection laws give you a number of rights, including access to your data, correction, erasure, objection and restriction of use of your data. Details on how to request access to your data are set out below. If you have any concerns about the accuracy and use of your records, please contact us.
Right of access to your information (Subject Access Request)
You have the right to have a copy of the information we hold about you. There are some safeguards regarding what you will have access to and you may find information has been removed for the following reasons.
- Where your doctor has decided that some information may cause significant harm to you or someone else
- Where the information is about someone else (third party) and is confidential to them
You can make a request by asking or writing to the practice. We may ask you to complete a form so that we have a record of your request. You will need to provide proof of identity.
If you would like to access your GP record online, please visit: https://patient.emisaccess.co.uk/account/login?ReturnUrl=%2F.
Lawful basis for processing
The use of personal data for providing care is supported under the following Article 6 and 9 conditions of the GDPR:
- Article 6(1)(e) ‘…necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority…’; and
- Article 9(2)(h) ‘necessary for the purposes of preventative or occupational medicine for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services…”
Change of details
It is important that you tell us as soon as you can if any of your details such as your name or address, email address or mobile number have changed. This is to make sure no information about you is sent to an old address.
Mobile phone number
If you provide us with your mobile phone number, we may use this to send you text reminders about your appointments or other health screening information. Please let us know if you do not wish to receive text reminders on your mobile.
Email address
Where you have provided us with your email address we will use this to send you information relating to your health and the services we provide. If you do not wish to receive communications by email, please let us know.
Any changes to this notice will be published on our website and in a prominent area at the practice.
Data Protection Officer
Should you have any questions or concerns about your data, please contact our Data Protection Officer via the details on our contact us page.
Right to complain
If you have concerns or are unhappy about any of our services, please contact the practice manager. For independent advice about data protection, privacy and data-sharing issues, you can contact:
The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire,
SK9 5AF
Website
www.ico.org.uk/global/contact-us
Phone
0303 123 1113
Integrated Care Board (ICB)
Our local ICS covers Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West, the BOB ICS. It has four main aims:
- Improve outcomes in population health
- Tackle inequalities in health outcomes, experience and patient access
- Enhance productivity and value for money
- Help the NHS support broader social and economic development
For more information about Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB, please visit www.bucksoxonberksw.icb.nhs.uk.
Named GP
We have allocated a named accountable GP for all of our registered patients. If you do not know who your named GP is, please ask a member of our reception team.
Unfortunately, we are unable to notify patients in writing of any change of GP due to the costs involved.
Shared Computer Systems
Health and Social care services are developing shared systems to share data efficiently and quickly. It is important for anyone treating you to be able to access your shared record so that they have all the information they need to care for you. This will be during your routine appointments and also in urgent situations such as going to A&E, calling 111 or going to an Out of hours appointment. It is also quicker for staff to access a shared record than to try to contact other staff by phone or email.
Only authorised staff can access the systems and the information they see is carefully checked so that it relates to their job. Systems do not share all your data, just data which services have agreed is necessary to include.
For more information about shared care records, please see the local shared care record statement below:
Local shared care record
Introduction
Your local health and care services are working more closely together to provide a joined-up service to meet your needs.
Working together improves the quality of care because the clinicians and other professionals involved in your treatment and care provision have better, more timely and more complete information on which to base their decisions.
The local shared care record reduces the need for you to repeat your story in each different setting, thereby saving you time and frustration. It also makes the services themselves more efficient by enabling health and care professionals involved in your care to view the relevant records as and when appropriate.
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 places a legal requirement on health and social care organisations to share data with other health and social care organisations involved in your care or likely to be involved in your care.
There are also occasions where we have a legal duty to pass patient information to external organisations such as NHS Digital and NHS England that either provide national shared care records such as the NHS Summary Care Record or that have a responsibility to oversee and address issues relating to the management of the NHS as a whole.
In addition, your data is also used in an anonymised form to manage the quality of the services you receive and to help monitor, manage and improve the provision of health and social care nationally and locally.
Together, the UK Data Protection Act 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation and our Common Law duties set out the rules we need to comply with when processing and sharing your data and we and our local partners have policies and procedures in place to ensure we comply.
As an example, one such policy is a requirement for staff to be trained and tested regularly with respect to data protection and privacy.
The local shared care record
Local shared care records are used by the practice to share some key information from your records with other organisations and health and social care professionals who may be involved in your care.
Role based access controls are implemented within the local shared care record systems and these controls make certain that only those roles that have a legitimate reason to access your data can do so. In addition to the technical access controls, all organisations that have been granted access to the local shared care records have committed to perform regular audits to ensure that the controls are properly applied.
The various types of organisation that may be required to view relevant aspects of your data using the local shared care record include:
- NHS Trusts, including:
- Hospitals
- Community healthcare services (when you have been referred to them)
- Emergency services
- Mental health services (when you have been referred to them)
- Specialist service providers (when you have been referred to them); and
- Local authorities;
- Voluntary sector organisations (when you have agreed to be referred to them).
- Independent sector health care providers (when you have been referred to them);
- Independent sector social care providers (when you have been referred to them);
Practices contribute the following types of data to the local shared care record:
- Personal demographic details (e.g. address, date of birth, next of kin/emergency contact details, ethnicity, disability or language preferences);
- Allergies;
- Events and episodes of care;
- Health promotion information;
- Medication data (current and past);
- Preventative procedures;
- Problems;
- Procedures;
- Referrals;
- Relevant social and family history;
- Results from diagnostic procedures; and
- Test results.
Other health and social care organisations contribute the following types of data to your local shared care record:
- Alerts, allergies, risks and warnings;
- Admissions and discharges;
- Ambulance, NHS 111 and out of hours calls;
- Care plans;
- Carer details;
- Diagnostic tests, imaging, results and reports;
- Electronic documents and letters;
- Next of kin; and
- Referrals, appointments and consultations.
There are three main local care records that are made available to support your care across the local health and social economy. These are:
- Share Your Care (which is also known as Connected Care) and for some patients a similar arrangement known as CHIE (formerly the Hampshire Health Record). This local shared care record consolidates your important local data from all sources for access by authorised professionals when you need it;
- The GP clinical system used in practices and other non-hospital settings that can provide near real-time access to your GP data when you are being cared for elsewhere in the local health care economy; and
- The local pathology and diagnostic system that can provide details of your tests and diagnostic reports to authorised professionals elsewhere in the local health care economy when you need it.
Your rights
Your rights in respect of these local shared records are summarised below:
- As required by law, you have a right to request a copy of your local shared care record and.
- You also have a right to request that errors in your records are corrected.
- For some uses of your data, you also have the right to object to your data being processed.
We aim to comply with these rights at all times.
For queries and requests regarding GP clinical system shared records, please contact the practice.
For queries and requests regarding Share Your Care and local pathology and diagnostic shared records, contact fhft.information.governance@nhs.net.
For more information on anonymised data processing please see the NHS website: Your data matters
Summary care records
About your summary care record
Your summary care record contains important information about any medicines you are taking, any allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines that you have previously experienced.
Allowing authorised healthcare staff to have access to this information will improve decision making by doctors and other healthcare professionals and has prevented mistakes being made when patients are being cared for in an emergency or when their GP practice is closed.
Your summary care record also includes your name, address, date of birth and your unique NHS Number to help identify you correctly.
You may want to add other details about your care to your summary care record. This will only happen if both you and your GP agree to do this. You should discuss your wishes with your GP practice.
Healthcare staff will have access to this information, so that they can provide safer care, whenever or wherever you need it, anywhere in England.
FAQs
Who can see my summary care record?
Healthcare staff who have access to your summary care record:
- need to be directly involved in caring for you
- need to have an NHS Smartcard with a chip and passcode
- will only see the information they need to do their job and
- will have their details recorded every time they look at your record
Healthcare staff will ask for your permission every time they need to look at your summary care record. If they cannot ask you (for example if you are unconscious or otherwise unable to communicate), healthcare staff may look at your record without asking you, because they consider that this is in your best interest.
If they have to do this, this decision will be recorded and checked to ensure that the access was appropriate.
What are my choices?
You can choose to have a summary care record or you can choose to opt out.
If you choose to have a summary care record and are registered with a GP practice, you do not need to do anything as a summary care record is created for you.
If you choose to opt out of having a summary care record and do not want a SCR, you need to let your GP practice know by filling in and returning an opt-out form.
If you are unsure if you have already opted out, you should talk to the staff at your GP practice. You can change your mind at any time by simply informing your GP practice and either filling in an opt-out form or asking your GP practice to create a summary care record for you.
Children and the summary care record
If you are the parent or guardian of a child under 16, you should make this information available to them and support the child to come to a decision as to whether to have a summary care record or not.
If you believe that your child should opt-out of having a summary care record, we strongly recommend that you discuss this with your child’s GP. This will allow your child’s GP to highlight the consequences of opting-out, prior to you finalising your decision.
Where can I get more information?
For more information about summary care record you can:
-
- talk to the staff at your GP practice
- phone the Health and Social Care information centre on 0300 303 5678
Your Rights and Responsibilities
Patient’s rights
We are committed to giving you the best possible service. This will be achieved by working together. Help us to help you. You have a right to, and the practice will try to ensure that:
- You will be treated with courtesy and respect
- You will be treated as a partner in the care and attention that you receive
- All aspects of your visit will be dealt with in privacy and confidence
- You will be seen by a doctor of your choice subject to availability
- In an emergency, out of normal opening hours, if you telephone the practice you will be given the number to receive assistance, which will require no more than one further call
- You can bring someone with you, however you may be asked to be seen on your own during the consultation
- Repeat prescriptions will normally be available for collection within two working days of your request
- Information about our services on offer will be made available to you by way of posters, notice boards and newsletters
- You have the right to see your medical records or have a copy subject to certain laws
Patient’s responsibilities
With these rights come responsibilities and for patients we would respectfully request that you:
- Treat practice staff and doctors with the same consideration and courtesy that you would like yourself. Remember that they are trying to help you
- Please ensure that you order your repeat medication in plenty of time allowing 72 working hours
- Please ensure that you have a basic first aid kit at home and initiate minor illness and self-care for you and your family
- Please attend any specialist appointments that have been arranged for you or cancel them if your condition has resolved or you no longer wish to attend
- Please follow up any test or investigations done for you with the person who has requested the investigation
- Attend appointments on time and check in with Reception
- Patients who are more than 10 minutes late for their appointment may not be seen.
- If you are unable to make your appointment or no longer need it, please give the practice adequate notice that you wish to cancel. Appointments are heavily in demand and missed appointments waste time and delay more urgent patients receiving the treatment they need
- An appointment is for one person only. Where another family member needs to be seen or discussed, another appointment should be made
- Patients should make every effort to present at the surgery to ensure the best use of nursing and medical time. Home visits should be medically justifiable and not requested for social convenience
- Please inform us when you move home, change your name or telephone number, so that we can keep our records correct and up to date
- Read the practice leaflets and other information that we give you. They are there to help you use our services. If you do not understand their content please tell us
- Let us have your views. Your ideas and suggestions whether complimentary or critical are important in helping us to provide a first class, safe, friendly service in pleasant surroundings
NHS constitution
The NHS constitution establishes the principles and values of the NHS in England. For more information see:
Zero Tolerance
The practice fully supports the NHS zero tolerance policy. The aim of this policy is to tackle the increasing problem of violence against staff working in the NHS and ensures that doctors and their staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused.
We understand that ill patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint. We ask you to treat your doctors and their staff courteously and act reasonably.
All incidents will be followed up and you will be sent a formal warning after a first incident or removed from the practice list after a second incident if your behaviour has been unreasonable.
However, aggressive behaviour, be it violent or verbal abusive, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the practice list and, in extreme cases, the police will be contacted if an incident is taking place and the patient is posing a threat to staff or other patients.
Removal from the practice list
A good patient-doctor relationship, based on mutual respect and trust, is the cornerstone of good patient care. The removal of patients from our list is an exceptional and rare event and is a last resort in an impaired patient-practice relationship. When trust has irretrievably broken down, it is in the patient’s interest, just as much as that of the surgery, that they should find a new practice. An exception to this is on immediate removal on the grounds of violence e.g. when the police are involved.
Removing other members of the household
In rare cases, however, because of the possible need to visit patients at home it may be necessary to terminate responsibility for other members of the family or the entire household. The prospect of visiting patients where a relative who is no longer a patient of the practice by virtue of their unacceptable behaviour resides, or being regularly confronted by the removed patient, may make it too difficult for the practice to continue to look after the whole family. This is particularly likely where the patient has been removed because of violence or threatening behaviour and keeping the other family members could put doctors or their staff at risk.